Violin teacher fined for attacks on provost’s car
A VIOLIN teacher targeted a Lothian provost by scratching his BMW and daubing it with goat’s cheese and eggs because he backed the creation of a sports pitch near her home.
Susan Matasovska, who provides school pupils with violin lessons, was protesting against Midlothian Council’s decision to provide a 420,000 synthetic football pitch in a Penicuik park.
Matasovska, of Cranston Street, Penicuik, had pleaded guilty previously at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to scratching the car owned by Councillor Adam Montgomery between July 11 and 12.
Today, she was ordered to pay the Midlothian Provost compensation of 480 for the damage caused.
The 55-year-old began her hate campaign after Cllr Montgomery told her fellow objectors they “were getting his goat”.
Matasovska started off by sending him drawings of a goat, including one showing the animal wearing a provost’s chain.
Cllr Montgomery, 56, called in police after four separate attacks on his car, including one incident where the roof was covered in goat’s cheese and eggs.
He had also suffered deliberate scratch tracks into the paintwork of his BMW and had a broken bottle placed behind the wheel.
In all, more than 2000 worth of damage was caused to his private car over a eight-day period.
Matasovska was caught by the provost - a councillor for 21 years - when he matched the handwriting on the letters with that of her official objection letter.
The teacher, employed to instruct music by the same Midlothian Council that elected Cllr Montgomery as provost, admitted all the offences when quizzed by police back in July.
Defence agent, Mike Bevan, told Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie QC, today that his client was ashamed, embarrassed and remorseful, and was under medication for depression.
Mr Bevan said her actions had been borne out of frustration after she and other residents raised a petition about the proposals, but that had failed to stop the development.
He added: “What triggered this was the comments made by the complainer - he was very dismissive of the objectors.
“This is where the phrase ‘get on my goat’ came from’.”
Last night, Cllr Montgomery said: “I don’t deserve this and neither do my family - I have done a lot for this area and I haven’t been re-elected for the last 21 years for nothing.
“The letters I received I could shrug off. But targeting my family and property is an invasion of privacy and is way over the top.
“The vast majority of people are delighted with the sports pitch - they realise it is better to have the kids round here playing football than causing trouble.
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